In the orthopaedics healing arts, skeletal deformities of the lower legs can be treated with orthopaedically encumbered footwear during noctural sleeping hours. With such orthopaedic treatment being utilized during the night time, the patient is wholly encumbered by any orthopaedic apparatus during daytime hours i.e. during day time, the patient can wear normal walking shoes completely unencumbered by non-ambulatory orthopaedic apparatus. However, at bed time, the patient continues wearing the day time footwear, but with a nocturnal installation of an orthopaedic apparatus encumberance which tends to correct the skeletal deformation. For example, if the patient is suffering from internal tibial distortion, the orthopaedic appliance sets the patient's footwear to an orthopaedically prescribed eversion-angle.
The aforementioned prior art is typically illustrated in drawing FIGS. 1 and 1A and wherein "BL" and "BR" refer to the shoebottoms of a patient's left and right shoes positioned supinely upon longitudinal sleeping bed "H" and wherein "AL" and "AR" refer to the respective sole-axes. "W" indicates a typical prior art apparatus employed to maintain the upright sole-axes "AL" and "AR" at an orthopaedically prescribed selectable eversion-angle bisected by laterally extending line "AB". Apparatus "W" comprises three main components including substantially identical shoe-connectors 10L and 10R terminating at laterally extending primary-pivots 19L and 19R, and a laterally rigid splint means 20 extending lengthwise longitudinally along horizontal axis 20H and pivotably connected at primary-pivots 19L and 19R.
It is the purpose of prior art shoe-connectors e.g. 10L and 10R, to provide a selectable and maintainable angle e.g. TL.degree. and TR.degree., between the laterally extending primary-pivots (19L and 19R) and the respective stud-axes 13L and 13R of shoe-studs 12L and 12R. In this regard, the shoe-connectors are so attached to the shoes that the stud-axes (13L and 13R) intersect the two shoes at similar locations whereby axes 13L and 13R are parallel. For example, with shoe-connectors 10L and 10R, the shoe-studs are attached with fasteners (e.g. 16R) to the shoe heels bottoms. Plate members (e.g. 14L, 14R) are angularly rotatable about the shoe-studs and carry the primary-pivots (e.g. 19L, 19R) outwardly from stud-axes 13L and 13R, the selectable angles TL.degree. and TR.degree. being indicatable at angular indicia 11L and 11R. The selected angles (e.g. TL.degree., TR.degree.) are thereafter maintainable, as by nuts 15L and 15R threadedly engaged with the shoe-studs and bearing downwardly against the appropriately angularly rotated plate members 14L and 14R.
It is the purpose of the prior art splint means to maintain the angles TL.degree. and TR.degree. which determine the eversion-angle bisected by lateral line "AB". Accordingly, a longitudinal splint bridge needs to be laterally rigid throughout a "splint-length", defined as its longitudinal length between its pivotal-connections (e.g. 19L, 19R) to the shoe-connectors (e.g. 10L, 10R). In this regard, prior art splint bridges, such as shown at 20, typically comprise a structurally monolithic metallic bar which is rigid along all planes thereof. Though the patient's legs are able to flex such apparatus "W" at primary-pivots 19L and 19R, and thereby adductionally attain some limited relief of apparatus tedium without disturbing the eversion-angle, the pedal adductional movement is so limited that the patient's sleep becomes fitfull and frequently interrupted by muscular tension. Also in the prior art, the monolithic splint-length needs to be empirically chosen so that the apparatus longitudinal "D" length 13L-13R along axis 20H does not exceed the pelvic width lest ligamentous problems accompany patient usage of typical apparatus "W". However, with structurally monolithic and pelvic-width prior art splints, the patient is precluded from relieving apparatus tedium by abductional feet movement, thereby providing also abductional restraint interference to restful sleep. Moreover, the such prior art apparatus needs to be periodically structurally modified to accommodate growing children, such as by periodically substituting progressively longer monolithic splint-lengths according to the patient's skeletal growth process. These periodic structural modifications to typical prior art apparatus "W" can be exceedingly expensive, depending upon the child's rate of body growth.